My Day Saturday

I started off my Saturday with making Zucchini, Apple and Ginger Jam.  I will post the recipe in another posting.  What a lot of prep time.  The zucchini or marrow as we know it in England was grown in my garden and what do you do with them.  I have found two great things, Jam and Chutney.

The aroma as it cooked was so good, it came from the ginger and added lemon juice.  The apples and lemon juice help it to set, the pectin.  There is no added water in this recipe the zucchini has water enough in it, in fact I cooked it ten minutes longer than the recipe stated.

I mashed it with a potato masher, it gave it more pulp, but left in enough bits for my liking.  I had wanted to get this done all week.  It felt good to be in my kitchen and have the time to make the jam.

Four place mats found at the thrift for $1.50, nice condition.

 
For lunch a tomato, basil and sage, all from the garden, along with Caerphilly cheese, from my mail cheese service, Trader Joe's bread, this is one of my favourite breads and Hellman's mayo.

Just layer those basil and sage leafs in, a little salt, lots of pepper, I like pepper, a lovely summer lunch.  Well almost autumn now.  The tomatoes are still all coming in, everything was a bit later this year.

Delicious along with a glass of moscato rose.

Mr B. surprised me getting home early from work, so we took advantage of this and headed out to Valley Forge Park here

I grabbed my art basket, we took coffee, grabbed a milk shake for Mr B and an ice cream for me and headed on out, just to relax read and I did a little painting.  It was a lovely day, gone is the humidity of summer and the sky was a wonderful blue.  Just to sit and do something I love.

This is where the Revolutionary Army encamped during the winter of 1777 to 1778.   The men wintered over in these cabins they made, George Washington stayed in quite a nice little house, we did not get to that.

I took a little walk up to the monument.

Valley Forge is a National Park, then you have State Parks, County Parks and Borough or Municipality Parks, that also pretty much represents how government is broken down over here.  By the way we pay taxes to everyone of those.

Milkweed here

I think this tree was hit by lightening.

 This bird of prey sat for a long while on the tree, I think it is a hawk.

Look at the inside of a milkweed pod, this is truly amazing,

The fibrous tissue reminded my of that movie "Invasion of The Body Snatchers."

Look at the beauty of the seeds packed inside ready to disperse.  The top silk is so soft, it feels like the softest fur on our Himalayan cat Tinkerbell.  The design is exquisite.

Our day comes to an end as the sun sinks.

Christy

Lady Mouse By Michelle Palmer

Michelle Palmer here is a talented artist and does some fun pieces.  This is one piece I could not resist on her Etsy Ship.  Little Lady Mouse.

I'm thinking she would look nice on a little bag, but will see.

Christy

Labor Day And Long Horn

This was our Labor Day Weekend, Labor Day being a Monday and a holiday, I know I'm a little late in posting this.

Sunday we ate at Long Horn, a steak house.  Rob work's there and for ever we have been saying that we will go as a family and take advantage of the discount he gets.  At last we did that.

I had the strawberry and walnut salad along with a flat iron steak with portobello mushroom in a sauce with Idaho baked potato, very good.

The boy drove his own car to the restaurant as he was going out afterwards, I abadoned Mr B and went to the restuarant with my Boy, any excuse for a ride in the convertable.

Monday we got to get out on the river, Mr B and I were in the kayak.  Rob would have come but he had to work and with all his car ups and downs he kind of needs the money.  We got to go with friends who were in the canoe.  I like a kayak, because you can stretch your legs out and have a back to your seat, and I just like a kayak.

Rain had been forecast, so it was cloudy, but quite humid, so we were glad that the sun was not out and the rain held off totally, in fact it did not come until the evening.  We stopped on a little shingle beach island and ate our snacks.  All told it was about a two hour ride.  We had a lot of fun just chatting backwards and forward and trying to keep that kayak heading in the right direction.

This is the River Schuylkill, next time I would like to kayak the canal, which parallels the river.

This is a house along the canal, it dates back to the 1780's, every time I go past I think of my friend Candyce and how she would like this little cottage, because that is really what it is.  It's up for sale $198.000

Produce Junction was open on the holiday, I was surprised but took advantage of it, as it's a little drive for me to get there and would have to be worth the while in petrol.

I bought this lovely orchid for $5.00 how could you pass that by and three yellow mums.  So was quite happy with my little purchases to finish off our little outing.  And since we got a fairly early start we had the rest of the afternoon at home.

What could be better than a nice cup of coffee and some Belgium Chocolate.

A lid less Japanese Teapot, just right for flowers.  I have passed it by several times in the Thrift and could not do so anymore.  Just love the cherry blossom and basket work design.

I finished crocheting the edging around this pillow case.

So that was my holiday weekend.

Take care,
Christy

George My Neighbour

George was my neighbour.  We are on the corner so only have one close by neighbour.  He was such a nice old gentleman.  It was always George and Gloria, they were High School Sweethearts and were just a very happily married older couple.

Gloria died several years ago in her sleep and George missed her terribly and was quite lonely.

We used to sit and talk.  He was in WWII, I asked where and it turned out that he was stationed at Wethersfield.  George remembered Earls Colne and Wakes Colne, Sible Heddingham and the villages around about.  My mum grew up in Earl's Colne, they could have walked passed each other in the street.  My mum was in High School then it is such a small world in so many ways.

About a month ago he died.  I miss him, I just knew he was always there in his dear little house.  I'd see him pottering around and it was a good feeling.

So the family came who I know some what and cleaned out many things, some they took and some were out in the trash.  And guess what was out in the trash.  These lamps.  I had commented to George some time ago how much I liked them, the way when turned on, the light shines through the windows and from the lamp post, he said they had bought them in the sixties I think from a local furniture store, long closed up.  The scene is Dickens "The Olde Curiosity Shoppe."

I just could not leave them there.  So brought them in.  Mr B cleaned up the basses, as there is a pair.  I would have gone at them with Brasso, but he said no, I'll clean them up with car wax and they came up a treat.

So I have one in my dining room window, and one on the library table in the Simla room.  The dining room lamp has a three way bulb and I need to get one for the other lamp.

It was a good excuse to rearrange these areas and give them a good old clean.

If there had been anything if asked would I like, I would have said the lamps and here they were.  When I get to see the family I will let them know.  But oh!  I do love them and think of George and Gloria.

Christy

Parents Joy Riding In A 1996 Miata

The other Sunday I asked the Boy if we could, that's his mum and dad, would be allowed to take his car out.  Yes the almost as old as Rob Miata convertible.  I have not been out in a convertible since my single days.

Boy did we have fun.  We drove out to a country area it was a beautiful evening, almost felt young again.

Rob has worked on this car, detailed it, polished it up as much as an old car will.

The other things he's done are to change out the actual steering wheel, he bought one on Ebay $20.00.  I was afraid the airbag would go off or something crazy, but no he went on all those forums and with his dad's help they changed it.  The old one had a nasty cover that slipped around.

When we first bought the car we were driving home on the Turnpike with the top up and guess what it flew undone, it happened with such force that I expected to see it back down the road when I turned around to look.  But fortunately it had just come undone.  So it needed new clips, another Ebay find, that the boy replaced himself.

Then he didn't like the gear knob shifter, so he bartered some work with a family friend of ours.  This friend comes from Kenya and is very good at woodwork.  He wanted a nice video of him working to add to his website and in exchange he made Rob the wooden gear shift knob.  He did have to buy the metal screw rod on line.  Now Joseph is thinking of making and selling these, they can go for quite a bit, just need to source the rods.

Then he went over a bottle, the tire could not be repaired, so he had to buy a pair of new tires, biggest expense, but they are sticky summer tires and he loves them.  He already had wider sticky summer tires on the back.

He has also bought four tire rims, from a Miata forum, to buy and put his winter tires on.

I almost forgot he did a front light swap with someone on a Miata forum.  His were not the original but ones that let in air, don't ask me details, but he swapped them for the original ones; which he likes the look of more and so do I.

When I first came to the States I was a Nanny for two years, and for one whole summer this is what I got to drive.  No I am not that old.  This is a 1960 Black Cadillac Convertible with a Red leather interior, same colors as the one I drove,  I can't quite remember if it was identical to this, I know it was very early sixties, but it was huge, like driving a boat and so was the steering wheel.  Boy did I have a summer of fun driving that around.  As I was allowed to use it for personal use as well as with the teenage children.

I'd say a Miata is the absolute total opposite, but still fun.

Christy